In Defense of Rescues and their Adoption Rules (boxers, vet, schnauzer)

[JONOV]

Rescues get a lot of criticism for being dog hoarders or impossible adoption rules or other concerns. Remember, their goal is to do everything possible to set the dogs up for success. What does Success mean? Obviously it means the dog will be well cared for and loved. But really it means that the dog is going somewhere that has a full understanding of what they're getting in terms of activity, the dog's personality, etc.

The Rescues have a contract with their adopters that says if they can't keep the dog, it goes back to the rescue. They really want to minimize the chances of taking a dog back if it doesn't work out; its hard on the dog and the dog gets somewhat stigmatized for "not working out." The insurance policy of at least one specifies that if the rescue has knowledge of a human bite, that it must euthanize the dog. Human aggression is rare in these breeds but there are fearful or reactive dogs and if the dog can't be around little kids for that reason, they mean it.

Folks that window shop online for dogs that look like good fits, then apply, often have the lowest odds.

If you decide that you want to adopt a Moravian Muskhound (I made that breed up,) then reach out to the breed rescue and start the conversation. Fill out the application and try and talk to someone. Express your interest ahead of time and hopefully get your application approved ahead of time so if one comes up, you aren't a total stranger off the street, and maybe are a few steps ahead in the game. Just because they have a lot of rules posted doesn't always mean they're hard and fast about them.

If you really want to up your odds, foster for the organization. No, its not always easy. But folks that have fostered (for both orgs that I've worked with) are already approved and get moved to the front of the line (and in at least one case a lower fee.) Also, you might get your permanent dog by being a Foster Fail. Nothing wrong with that. One dog I placed I had for four weeks and he was adopted by a woman that, two years prior, had fostered four dogs that were dumped into a pound at one time. Four poorly socialized, male German Wirehairs, two needing medical treatment. She had lost her own dog recently and was in the market for another. The rescue didn't forget what she did for them for the several months she taught those dogs manners and nursed them to health.

[JONOV]

All of my fosters have been German Wirehair or German Shorthair Pointers, though one was a mix and another may have been a mix. Some have stayed as long as four or five months, others have stayed as little as a few weeks.

I've had eight dogs come through my doors. Some were physical and/pr mental wrecks, some were pretty turnkey, some were in the middle. Two were puppies, one 6 weeks old and another 12 weeks old. One was old, and half blind.

• The Fearful Little Girl had gone borderline feral and had to be live trapped by animal control after they tried for a month to catch her. She went into the pound, was sprung by someone who didn't realize that the breeds can be kind of a lot, who then reached out to the rescue.
• The Charming Gentleman was picked up as a stray, went into a local regional rescue foster, who found out he wasn't fixed and couldn't have him around her female, so she called the breed rescue.
• The Cantankerous Old Man was picked up by a backwoods dog catcher at a popular local dog-dumping area. He was at least 10 and didn't see well. He had also lived on a concrete pad his whole life.
• The Squinting Twerp was a hoarding/abuse case. He was a 49 lb dog at a healthy weight but was 27 lbs when we took him in; he had lived in a single wide trailer with 15 other dogs and the prosecutor made part of the deal him turning his dogs in.
• The Weasel was a 10 month old puppy that was well socialized and friendly. Unfortunately her owners were going throuhg a divorce and she needed an expensive surgery with extensive rehab and they couldn't do it.
• DeeJay was a total mystery, a 9 month old dog or thereabouts that was apparently extremely well bred, beautiful, and friendly, but also horridly socialized and therefore cautious about many little things we don't look twice at (like certain types of staircases where the back of the stair isn't boarded.)
• The two puppies were interesting cases but were healthy puppies that ended up in the rescue due to odd circumstances (not littermates, just similarly odd stories..)

All of that's to say that I've had a fair bit of experience with either placing the dogs myself or working with the rescues on their permanent homes. Some dogs have dozens of applications. One of them had 1. Most had a handful of viable applications.

Especially for the most desirable ones (the young, healthy females or puppies) there are many homes that would be good fits. If another family gets selected, remember that it isn't that they're "more perfect" than you are; it could be timing or just luck.

Other dogs have charming personalities, good looks, are physically sound dogs, but have major "mental health" concerns that limits the adopter pool and a lot of applications really aren't appropriate for the dog.

[perpetualtexan]

I have rescued two of the last three dogs I owned. I have a few thoughts:

1. If you rescued from a particular breed rescue before, stay in touch with them, as you can. Go to their reunion events, buy an event T-shirt or a calendar from them. Pop into their adoption events occasionally, even if you aren't in the market for a dog.

2. Further to #1, if the rescue group doesn't remember your name, they will surely remember your face. This might be a plus for you, if you ever need to adopt from them again. I am finding myself in this situation, as my dog just died, so I may very well go back and adopt another rescue from them.

3. Wear your reunion T-shirt to the mall or PETCO where they are holding meet and greets. If you adopted from them before, this will get you noticed.

4. For any rescue group, if you aren't sure what kind of dog you want to adopt, and simply want to talk to them about their work at a booth or fair, leave a donation. This will be greatly appreciated, and they might remember you later. Last time I did this at a small breed rescue booth, I left a check for $25.

5. I live in a huge metropolitan area, and there are many choices of rescue groups or shelters. Some are very difficult to work with and don't have good communication and are very much into pre-judging people. Many others are flexible, sensible, pragmatic, and organized. I prefer organized these days. For any particular group, the tone, attitude, and philosophy filters down from the top. Make sure you can deal with that kind of personality if you approach them.

Wish me luck to find another dog after my precious little schnauzer died.

[motownnative]

I appreciate the description of special needs dogs that may require homes with more screening. I think the issue on the other thread boiled down to the blanket rejections.

I don't think anyone wants to put rescues on the defensive. It's not the rescues that are the issue it is the RULES. Rules can be changed. I am surprised more aren't listening to the public and doing just that. They are charities that are dependent upon the public's goodwill and donations.

Since this thread may attract many in rescue, I would hope some would consider that many who look to rescue do so after a beloved pet has passed. Even months later emotions can be raw and these rejections can sting. Many rules are unreasonable.

It is not just me or others who posted on the other thread who are saying this. The President of the ASPCA stated he was rejected by rescues - twice. Here is the article. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.c9c11d6cc07d

All of the national animal advocates are listening to these complaints and are supporting a shift to more open adoptions. They have done studies on this and found that there isn't much difference in adoption failure rates between open and highly screened/restrictive adoptions. Best Friends has gotten their application down to one page and most people can leave with their dog the same day. No home check. (excerpt and article below)

Open adoption is the way to go
The list of major national animal advocates currently supporting the “open adoption” model includes all the big players: Humane Society of the United States, Maddie’s Fund, Petco Foundation, No Kill Advocacy Center, plus the aforementioned Petsmart Charities, Best Friends, and the ASPCA.

And the ideas are trickling down to the local level. There are success stories all around the country with shelters taking on this approach and increasing successful placements by double-digit percentages. One of the pioneers in implementing the open adoption process is the Humane Society of Boulder Valley in Colorado. The ASPCA helped the organization retire its rigid guidelines by asking the HSBV staff to consider whether their own shelter would adopt to them if they were going through the application process. Surprisingly, most of them wouldn’t pass muster.
After all, shelter staff often work long hours and don’t earn high salaries, so they aren’t with their own pets 24/7. Many would struggle with exorbitant pet-care bills. Most didn’t have fenced-in yards or landlord approval for their own animals. But, of course, they were dedicated pet lovers and more than competent caretakers. This simple question got them to think differently about the demands they were putting on potential adopters and helped them transition to a more open process.
https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/a-...ogs-and-humans

[CLfan1977]

In general I think rescue groups do a fantastic job with a chronic shortage of funds and thanks.But sometimes I wonder what they are thinking.

We had a long history of owning Boxers. At some point we began adopting from a Boxer rescue group. We successfully brought 2 different senior (not at the same time) Boxers into our family. We volunteered with the group, donated generously, went to the dog training classes they had. The 3rd dog we adopted was a problem once we got her home. She was aggressive with people and other dogs. We went to training but had multiple frightening incidents. Things came to a head one weekend when our son and pregnant daughter-in-law visited. The dog tried to attack him several times. D-i-l was shocked (we all were) and scared. We asked the group to house the dog for the weekend until we could determine the right thing to do.

They turned on us, reclaiming the dog, saying we over-reacted. In their next newsletter they trashed us as failures and listed this aggressive dog as up for adoption again, literally saying they wanted no more over-protective grandparents adopting dogs. To this day I wonder how many animals and people that dog attacked.

The vast majority of rescue group people are incredible, but a few are unable to accept that not every dog is adoptable to people that live around other homes. They blamed us when all we were asking was some time and advice.

P.S. we retired, moved, got acquainted with the local Boxer rescue and found another dog to join our family. He had a great, long life with us and left many friends, human and canine, behind.

P.P. S. If this belongs in a different discussion, please move.

[eureka1]

Thank God for the rescues!

[oregonwoodsmoke]

For awhile, I worked out of an office located in the county animal shelter. The kids that worked there called the members of the general public "the enemy" because they saw so much abuse, had so many pets turned in for no real reason, or taken from the shelter and then returned. Too many strays needing vet care and no one coming in to claim them. Too many sick pets becasue they were never vaccinated.



The rescues are trying to do adoptions that stick. But still, some of them carry it too far. They drive away potential good homes.


When I have a litter of puppies, the hopeful homes get put through the ringer, but people buying a high quality purebred expect to jump the hurdles and put up with the probes, vet calls, trainer verification, and home visits. None of that is done by filling out an application. It is done in person and face to face and done with good humor.... But they know they are getting a "job interview".


So buying from a breeder doesn't save you from the inquisition. But you will be allowed to explain how you manage the dog during the day, not refused because you have a job and income. Chitchat about prior pets and what happened to them, not required to fill out a chronological list with dates and causes of death.


I don't have to talk to a person very long before I can tell whether or not they know how to take care of a dog, or are willing to learn how to take care of a dog. Perhaps the rescue volunteers aren't good at that sort of screening, so they must have a check list?

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I think that everyone here will admit that they are aware that there are a lot of people who don't take good care of their pets. We all have stories.



The rescues are trying to keep pets out of those homes.


I just think they should figure out how to do that without scaring off the good homes that want to adopt.

[motownnative]

Originally Posted by CLfan1977

In general I think rescue groups do a fantastic job with a chronic shortage of funds and thanks.But sometimes I wonder what they are thinking.

We had a long history of owning Boxers. At some point we began adopting from a Boxer rescue group. We successfully brought 2 different senior (not at the same time) Boxers into our family. We volunteered with the group, donated generously, went to the dog training classes they had. The 3rd dog we adopted was a problem once we got her home. She was aggressive with people and other dogs. We went to training but had multiple frightening incidents. Things came to a head one weekend when our son and pregnant daughter-in-law visited. The dog tried to attack him several times. D-i-l was shocked (we all were) and scared. We asked the group to house the dog for the weekend until we could determine the right thing to do.

They turned on us, reclaiming the dog, saying we over-reacted. In their next newsletter they trashed us as failures and listed this aggressive dog as up for adoption again, literally saying they wanted no more over-protective grandparents adopting dogs. To this day I wonder how many animals and people that dog attacked.

The vast majority of rescue group people are incredible, but a few are unable to accept that not every dog is adoptable to people that live around other homes. They blamed us when all we were asking was some time and advice.

P.S. we retired, moved, got acquainted with the local Boxer rescue and found another dog to join our family. He had a great, long life with us and left many friends, human and canine, behind.

P.P. S. If this belongs in a different discussion, please move.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I support open adoptions as there is an emphasis on giving the time and advice you stated you were needing. (excerpt from article I posted)

“We have a fun questionnaire that focuses on the client’s expectations, needs and experiences. … The process can take 20 minutes or a few hours depending on the client’s and pet’s need.”

Still, sometimes the match doesn’t go as expected, and even with support, the dog isn’t thriving in his new environment. You might be reluctant to reach out in this situation, afraid you’ll be yelled at and shamed. But it doesn’t have to be that way, Peralta insists: “Our adopters are provided with a lifetime commitment to address any questions that may arise or to return the pet for any reason to our center.”

I went through two "open" adoptions with my cats. Maybe due to cat overpopulation they are less strict? Regardless, I filled out no applications and there was no home visit but I was in daily contact with someone afterward. I met 20 cats but was given assurance I could return and exchange for another if the one I chose wasn't working out - no questions asked and no blame. (what a breath of fresh air!)

I did have problems. The 8-9 week old kitten I chose hated other cats. The total opposite of what is "normal" in these situations. Usually the adult cats take some time to accept a kitten. Mine were fine with a newcomer. The kitten was hostile.

People who foster please listen to this: my kitten had these issues as she was found along a busy road at about 7 weeks. A foster took her in as the pound was full. The foster had no other pets. This is great that someone stepped up, but I am so glad they didn't have a "death grip" on her and feared for her being adopted into a real home. It would have been a disaster. She almost missed her critical socialization period with other pets. My vet told me it is shorter for kittens than puppies. This is why cats/kittens can go feral so quickly.

Everything worked out and I was patient and had a very patient rescue person to talk to. The kitten was loved by my cats but would be growling and purring at the same time they were grooming her! She wasn't getting a chance prior to socialize with other cats or dogs. It took a while, but now they are all best friends.

CLFan; it is great you persevered and found other groups that appreciated your experience with boxers. (I take aggressive behavior VERY seriously and you clearly did the right thing) It's inexcusable that the blame was put on you. Sad that we have these bad experiences. Taking the time to share them can only help to make it better

[CLfan1977]

^mowtownnative, thank you. Lots of wisdom in what you say.